elm café

same impressions, different shop. if you didn't know that elm café was from the same minds that brought us district coffee then it wouldn't be too hard to guess as much, i had virtually the same experience, that being that i really really wish i liked this place more than i had. the setting is really hip. cute little coffee nook with a modern vibe and a healthy dose of much appreciated civic pride, there is a paved patio area with bench seating outside which as long as it remains shoveled will feel very in accordance with edmonton's "4-season city" policy, and a would make a nice year round spot to sit and drink. the food is also a pleasant surprise for a coffee shop, at district the focus seems to be on desert items whereas elm seems to be more lunch and breakfast item oriented.
but i still have a pretty lackluster opinion of the place because of the coffee, which is the focal point of any café in my opinion. the roasts used by the district family of coffee shops are just in my opinion bad, their espresso roast is just too sour and harsh on the pallet, and their drip coffees suffer from the same high acidity. if you like a acidic coffee then maybe you won't mind but another failure is in freshness. they only offer pour-overs after 2, though at least they offer it at all, last i was at district they didn't even have the option available. this day and age i kind of expect to be able to get a fresh made-to-order, pour-over on request from an independent specialty coffee shop, if i have to default to stale carafe coffee then i don't really see the point.
a really fair comparison would be to put elm up against farrow, really similar places; small, hip, independent, sandwiches and coffee. but farrow is overall better, with more interesting and expertly prepared artisan sammies, and pour-over available at all times and with more variety. so i have a tough time recommending this place.

i live in the area and have wanted to try this place for a while. it's amazing! one of the best grilled sandwiches i've ever had. too bad it's so tiny inside though, it would make for a great brunch/coffee spot. i'll be back!

i was very fortunate to find myself staying a block away from this little gem during my month-long stay in edmonton.  not only do they have great coffee (they serve bows and arrows coffee from victoria, bc) but also excel in the food department.  i was a big lover of their muffins (oat-carrot, zucchini chocolate, berry bran, etc etc.) and many others obviously were as well as they were sold out by about 10am every morning.  i was even more impressed by their daily sandwich board...

awesome sandwiches. i lived in downtown edmonton for years before discovering this place and i'm upset that i didn't discover it sooner. their sandwiches and coffee are the perfect start to a weekend day and they never leave me disappointed.

the wait time is a little bit long for a "take away" place and the lack of seating makes it a bit annoying to go there on a cold day but it's always been worth it. highly recommended.

coffee #1. amazing coffee, bows and arrows. wow. just wish there was a bit more room. tight squeeze.

going to elm cafe feels like a warm hug from your favourite aunt. best coffee house in the city.

so good. we have had two family functions catered by elm and i can't say enough about the professional staff from the chef shale to andrea the events co- ordinator, and the serving staff are very pleasant and accommodating.
the food is unbelievably good,the sandwiches pure genius and the hordorves the best finger food we've ever had at a catered function.
the most recent function we had was a small reception after a funeral. they handled it flawlessly, setting up a beautiful light lunch while we were at the service , allie served us with friendly professionalism and respect for the event.
everything was quietly cleaned up and whisked away, leaving my kitchen spotless.
i would recommend elm to any one that wants a function catered perfectly.

fantastic coffee in oliver. this place is great. every coffee drink i've ordered, be it a straight espresso, macchiato, or cappucino, has been expertly made. they use and sell 49th parallel beans, which is awesome. when buying beans the staff has proved very knowledgeable and are able to compare and contrast the different coffees to give me an idea of which one to try. their sandwiches are delicious: the toppings are creative and the ingredients are very high quality.

my only complaint about this place is that it is a very small store front and not really a place to go and sit with a friend over coffee. just a "grab it and go" place. (except in the summer when they have some patio seating.) i would love to see a future in which they expand into a bit larger location and develop a true "coffee shop" type vibe. in the meantime, i will continue to enjoy their awesome coffee and sandwiches.

small place, but great food. i went there today, got 2 sandwiches with a coffee.
food, it is really awesome, but very cramped place.

i wouldn't call it a restaurant, it is more likely a food cart station.
there are seat, (4 chairs?) but you would be very lucky, if you got one.

it is a very busy place, and simple menu. so take a sandwich on your way.
again, food is very good

we had elm cafe sandwiches at a recent meeting. excellent flavour/very fresh ingredients. the only problem we had was that all the buns were the same so eventhough they had labelled the outside of the boxes (2 types of sandwiches per box) we had to open up a sandwich to see if we could recognize an identifying ingredient... but it really wasn't a problem... superbly gourmet sandwiches...i'll be dropping by to check them out in person and see if the staff are as snobbish as mentioned in other reviews. they ought to learn that the amount of the tip decreases appreciably to correspond with the increase in snobbery. will see how it goes.

coffees and sandwiches. so good. last time i was here i had a duck confit panini. seriously?? this place is a treat.

elm has great coffee and i've been going since it opened but some of the staff are getting progressively more rude and put-out as they get popular and that is an unfortunate thing. i've seen this happen to a few good places in edmonton, perhaps because they a are not many of them but i do wish that they would just be glad to be part of something good, smile, and not let it get to their heads.

thank you for the sandwiches, not the service. it pains us to write this but we are tired of the attitude at elm street cafe. we have been visiting them regularly and always leave a tip, but the employees never seem to care or remember us. their attitude is generally aloof and often belittling. if their sandwiches were not superb, we would have stopped going a long time ago. we've noticed the new employees are often quite pleasant at first but will inevitably become poisoned by their coworkers (smiles proportionately decrease as attitude increases).
the owner is quite nice and has talked to us, but he is the exception to the rule.
therefore, so long elm street cafe. we will be back when you improve your attitude (you probably didn't want or need us as customers anyway).

elm cafe is about as modern minimalist as it gets, even for a predominantly takeout spot. the physical space—on the ground floor of a medical office building—is tiny, the four window stools nearly matched by the three people bustling behind the counter. the chalkboard menu is equally spartan: excellent, strong 49th parallel coffee, a few fine, fruit muffins and the choice of two morning and two lunchtime “craft” sandwiches.

excellent for those who can stomach acrid hipster barista condescension. and i say that without any sarcasm. come for consistently great shots, sammies, and the feeling of being judged up and down. i love the place for their product, but for reals, some of the staff are utterly offensive in their attitudes towards customers. maybe i'm a glutton for punishment?